What happens if a contributor to $WELL_KNOWN_FREE_SOFTWARE suddenly says: “I rescind all my contributions to $WELL_KNOWN_FREE_SOFTWARE, I revoke the license I have released my contributions under and I demand that all my contributions be removed from it!.”?
Can the contributor really recind the contributions? Does the project have to obey with the demand, or can they keep them legally?
What happens if the only author of $LITTLE_KNOWN_FREE_SOFTWARE suddenly says “I recind my license of my software, it is now released under $SHITTY_EULA, effective immediately.”?
What happens to existing users, who have downloaded the software already, where the software was still free (let's assume the software had a LICENSE file with a free license inside). Do they get to keep using the software under the old license, or do they lose their freedoms? And what about old versions? Can the author recind the license for already published versions retroactively?
Please, before you reply, also specify:
- To which country your answer applies
- Your sources
These sound like difficult but important questions to me. If you have any ideas, I would be very thankful for an answer.